Watapur residents lack access to adequate health services

ASADABAD (Pajhwok): Residents of Watapur district in eastern Kunar province complain about lack of healthcare services and urge the government to address the matter.

Having a population of about 30,000 people, only a sub-clinic is available in Houz area of the district.

Sherullah, a tribal leader, told Pajhwok Afghan News: “About 30,000 people live in this area and most of them have no access to health services and only one sub-clinic is available which is not adequate.”

He said that Houz is a mountainous area about 30km away from the district health center and local residents cannot transfer their patients to other areas on time due to the lengthy and bumpy road.

According to him, the sub-clinic provides health services only until 12:00pm and then it is closed. The facility also lacks medicines. He urged the government to expand health services in their area.

Wahidullah, another resident and youth council head, also said the existing sub-clinic in their area could not cater to the needs of the people.

He said: “Our locality consists of nine large village and many people in the region do not have access to health services.”

He said: “When a person falls sick, especially women who are pregnant, we have to transport them on animals for four or five hours to the health center, this has made our lives very difficult.”

Maulvi Brial, a religious scholar and a resident of the area, said villagers had to walk 18 or 20 kilometers to get treatment for a common disease.

He added Houz area had been a hotbed of war for the past 20 years, depriving people of many basic facilities of life.

Mohammad Ayaz Safi, a spokesman for the Public Health Department, told Pajhwok: “Only one sub-health centre is active in Houz area.”

He said they would send a team to the area to assess the situation and if necessary, health services would be expanded.

sa/ma

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